Container door latch

ABSTRACT

A latch for securing a pair of members in fixed relation relative to one another. One of the members carries a stud which has a frusco-conical head portion and an annular groove. The other member carries a sliding latch plate which has a U-shaped notch at one end. The latch plate is slidably received in a housing and is movable between a closed position in which the Ushaped notch of the latch member engages the annular groove of the stud and an open position in which the latch member is clear of the stud.

United States Patent [191 Sprick et a1.

[ CONTAINER DOOR LATCH [75] Inventors: Walter F. Sprick; Oscar W.Meller,

both of Akron, Ohio [73] Assignee: Goodyear Aerospace Corporation,Akron, Ohio [22] Filed: Oct. 27, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 201,590

292/148,149,150,l51,152, 153,154,175, 302, DIG. 14, 140, 162; 70/432,104; 24/211 K; 85/8, 6; 402/63 Aug. 14, 1973 Primary Examiner-Albert G.Craig, Jr. Attorney-J. G. Pere [5 7] ABSTRACT A latch for securing apair of members in fixed relation relative to one another. One of themembers carries a stud which has a frusco-conical head portion and anannular groove. The other member carries a sliding latch plate which hasa U-shaped notch at one end. The latch plate is slidably received in ahousing and is movable [56] References Cited between a closed positionin which the U-shaped notch UNITED STATES PATENTS of the latch memberengages the annular groove of the 868,473 10/ 1907 Palmer 287/20.927stud and an open position in which the latch member 2,898,659 8/1959Shoemaker 249/191 is clear of the stud.

3,365,224 1/1968 Thorne 287/20.924 3,506,371 4/1970 Nes 402/63 10Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 1 f 1' 32 I1 1 0 w-36 0 e4 J 5 I l 1\ 1| 11111 36 h. 0 1 o i I l }Q111111111 111 CONTAINER DOOR LATCH The presentinvention relates to a latch assembly and more particularly to animproved latch assembly for a cargo container door.

The latch mechanisms employed in cargo containers must meet a number ofstringent requirements. Such latches must be easily operated but sodesigned that they are not likely to be accidently knocked open. Thelatch must also have sufficient holding strength to retain the door in aclosed position even if the door is battered, for example by shiftingcargo within the container. Such latches should also, preferably, becapable of operating even if there is some misalignment between the twolatching members. It is also desired that the latch provide a readilyvisible indication when it is in the locked or unlocked state.

While various latch constructions have been proposed and used in thepast, such latches have generally been of complex construction to meetthe above requirements. They are, therefore, expensive to manufactureand require frequent adjustment to assure reliable and secure latchingoperation.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a latchingmechanism which is of simple design and operation and which provides forthe secure latching of the members being secured.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a latchingmechanism which, while being easy to operate, is not subject to beingaccidently opened.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of alaching mechanism which includes means whereby the latching mechanismmay be padlocked or sealed when in its closed state.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a latchingmechanism which provides a readily visible indication when the latch isin its open condition.

The above and other objects of the invention which will become apparentin the following detailed description are achieved by providing alatching mechanism for securing two hinged members to one another whichconsists, essentially, of a stud secured to one of the hinged membersand having a frusco-conical head portion and an annular grooveimmediately behind the head portion and a latch plate carried slidablyin a housing mounted on the other hinged member and adapted to engagethe annular groove and the stud when in a closed position.

For a more complete understanding of the invention and the objects andadvantages thereof reference should be had to the following detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings wherein there is shown apreferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cargo container equipped with thelatches of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the door assembly of thecontainer, showing the latch mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to that of FIG. 2 butshowing the latch in its open state;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 6--6 ofFIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the latching plate employed in theassembly of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. I, there is shown a cargo container 10 which has abase 12, a top wall, opposite end walls 14 and side walls 16. The twoside walls 16 are doors which may be opened to provide access to theinterior of the container 10. Each of the doors consists of an upperdoor section 18 and a lower door section 20 which are joined by a hinge22. Rollers 24 connected to the upper ends of the doors on oppositecorners thereof and engage tracks 26 extending the length of the endwalls .14 of the container. This arrangement permits the doors to befolded along the hinge 22 and then positioned on the top of thecontainer providing open access to the entire side of the container.Pins 28 projecting from the lower end of the doors engage openings 30 inthe base 12 when the door is in its closed position. In order to lockthe doors in their closed positions there is provided, at opposite endsof the horizontal reinforcing beam 32, latch mechanisms 34. Thesemechanisms 34 will be described in greater detail below. Theconstruction of the container 10 and the doors 16 is described ingreater detail in application Set/No. 192,451, filed Oct. 26, 1971 forBaggage and Cargo Container Door Mechanism. It should be understood,however, that while the latches 34 of the present invention are shown inconjunction with this cargo container construction, the latches may ofcourse be used in other environments and the particular container isdescribed only to illustrate the mounting and operation of the latches.

The latch mechanism 34 includes a housing 36 which is secured to therail or beam 32 by means of screws 38. A through opening 39 ofrectangular cross-section extends horizontally the length of the housing36. Slidably received within this through opening 39 is a latch platedesignated generally by the reference numeral 64. The latch plate 64 isillustrated in greater detail in FIG. 7 and will be further describedbelow. The screws 38 which retain the housing 36 in place also secure astrike plate 44 on the opposite side of the web 32a or other plate towhich the latch assembly is secured. It should be noted that a circularopening 40 is provided in the housing 36 adjacent one end thereof andthat the web 32a and strike plate 44 are also provided with circularopenings 42 and 46, respectively, which are aligned with the opening 40.These aligned openings permit passage of the latching stud 50 throughthe housing 36. The stud 50 is provided with a fruscoconical headportion 52, an annular recess 54, and a shoulder 56. As can be seen fromFIG. 3 the shank portion 58 of the stud 50 passes through the edge rail60 of the side wall 14 and is secured by a suitable nut 62. The stud 50is located so that it is concentric with the openings 40, 42, and 46.

Referring now to FIG. 7, it will be seen that the latching plate 64 hasa flat body portion 66, this portion being slidably received within theopening 39 and having at its outer end a U-shaped opening which is of awidth only slightly greater than the diameter of the annular portion 54of the stud 50. The outer ends of the opening 70 are beveled to providea diverging opening and, preferably, the upper surfaces of these beveledportions 72 are chamfered. The flat portion 66 of the latch plate 64 isalso provided with a slot 74 which is aligned with the U-shaped opening70. The slot 74 is rounded at its ends and the distance between thecenters of curvatures of the two ends of the slot is at leastsubstantially equal to the distance between the center of curvature ofthe U-shaped slot and that of the adjacent end of the slot 74.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 6, it will be seen that a rivet or pin 84secured to the housing 36 carries a sleeve 86 passes through the slot 74of the latching plate 64. This sleeve 86 serves as a stop member,limiting the inward and outward movement of the slide plate 64. A spring84 is secured by the sleeve 86 and rivet 84 and also engages the slot 74to releasably hold the sliding plate either in its open or closedposition.

It will be noted that the latching plate 64 is provided with an endportion 68 extending at right angles to the main portion 66 of thisplate. and at the end opposite from the U-shaped notch 70. This upwardlyprojecting end portion 68 provides a handle by which the latch plate 64may be moved inwardly and outwardly. A tablike portion 78 may also beprovided extending at right angles to the handle portion 68 and parallelto one of the webs 32b of the beam 32. This tab portion 78 is providedwith a hole 80 and the parallel web portion 32b is provided with a hole82 which is aligned with the hole 80 when the latch is in its closedposition. This arrangement permits the latch to be padlocked or sealed,for example with a customs seal, when closed.

The latch is illustrated in its closed position in FIGS. 2 and 3. As wllbe seen from these figures, the latching stud 52 projects through theopenings 40-42 and 46 with the annular recessed portion 54 of the studbeing generally in the plane of the latch plate 64. In the latchedposition the latch plate 64 has been moved in the direction of the arrowA so that the annular recessed portion 54 of the stud is received withinthe opening 70, the diverging and chamfered ends 72 serving to guide thestud into precise alignment with the U- shaped inner portion of theopening 70. In this closed position the stop sleeve 86 is located in theend of the slot 74 furthest from the opening 70 and the spring engagesthe opposite end of the same opening. Since the latch plate 66 ispositioned between the head portion 52 and the shoulder 56 of the stud50, a tight latching relationship is maintained.

When the latch plate 64 is moved in the direction of the arrow B, asshown in FIG. 5, the opening 70 is moved away from the stud 50 so thatthe stud can now pass freely through the openings 40, 42, and 46. In thefully opened position of the latch plate 64 the stop sleeve 86 engagesthe end of the slot 74 nearest the U- shaped slot 70 and the spring 88engages in the U- shaped slot 70 to releasably hold the lock in an openposition. To provide an indication that the lock is in its open positiona suitable marking 76 may be provided on the flat portion 66 of thelatch plate 64 which is within the confines of the housing 36 when thelatch is closed but which is exposed when the latch is moved to its openposition. Preferably, this marking 76 is of a readily visible colorcontrasting with the remainder of the lock assembly.

In order to provide reliable operation of the assembly the stud 50 andsliding latch plate 64 may be fabricated of stainless steel. Also, theflat portion 66 of the latch plate 64 is preferably provided with asolid film lubricant coating such as tetrafloroethylene.

It should now be apparent that there has been provided an improvedlatching assembly which fulfills the objects initially set out above.The combination of the sliding latch plate and the latch stud provides asimple latch mechanism which is capable of withstanding substantialloads. Under normal conditions the action of the spring 88 engageseither in the slot 74 or the U- shaped opening is sufficient to retainthe latch in either its closed or open position. However, the provisionof the lug 78 provides a simple arrangement for locking or sealing theassembly to prevent accidental opening thereof. Since the head portion52 of the locking stud 50 passes through the latch housing 36misalignment of the stud and latch can be easily seen with visualinspection. The diverging and chamfered end portions 72 of the opening70 will compensate for minor misalignment. If the misalignment issubstantial the stud may be loosened and moved to a central positionwithin the hole 40. This can also be done with visual alignment only.

it should be understood that while only the best known embodiment of theinvention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, theinvention is not limited thereto or thereby. Reference should thus behad to the appended claims in determining the true scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A latch for securing two relatively movable members in fixed relationto one another, comprising:

a stud adapted to be secured to one of the members,

the stud having an annular groove,

a latch plate having a flat body portion with an openended notch at oneend, the notch having a U- shaped inner portion cooperating in a closesliding engagement with the groove of the stud, the latch plate havingan end portion opposite to the notch extending at right angles to thebody portion to serve as a handle, and a tab portion extending at rightangles to the end portion and the body portion,

a housing adapted to be secured to the other of said members, thehousing enclosing and slidably receiving the latch plate along a lineperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stud between a firstposition in which the notch of the plate engages the annular groove ofthe stud, and a second position in which the latch plate is remote fromthe stud, and

means provided to secure the tab portion of the latch plate in fixedrelation to at least one of the members with the latch plate in itsfirst position.

2. The latch according to claim 1 further including stop means carriedby the housing and engaging the latch plate to determine the first andsecond positions.

3. The latch according to claim 2 wherein the latch plate is providedwith an elongated slot extending parallel to the direction of movementof the plate, the stop member comprising a pin-like member secured tothe housing and projecting into the slot.

4. The latch according to claim 3 further including means for releasablyretaining the latch plate in either the first or second position.

5. The latch according to claim 4 wherein the retaining means comprisesa spring carried by the housing and engaging the slot of the latch platewhen the plate is in its first position and engaging the notch of thelatch plate when the plate is in its second position.

6. A latch according to claim 1 where the other member includes a webportion in parallel adjacent relation to the tab portion of the latchplate, and the means to secure the tab portion to the web portion arealigned holes through said two portions with the latch in the firstposition, said holes adapted to receive a retaining member to maintaintheir aligned relation.

7. A latch according to claim 1 where the outer portion of the notch ofthe latch plate has diverging sides, at least one of the surfaces of thediverging sides being chamferedv 8. The latch according to claim 7 whichincludes a strike plate in conjunction with the housing and wherein thehousing and stike plate are provided with aligned openings ofsubstantially the same diameter therethrough permitting the head portion.of the stud to pass through the strike plate and housing.

9. The latch assembly according to claim 8 where the housing and strikeplate are mounted to a reinforcing beam which includes a hole of thesame diameter as and aligned with the holes in the housing and strikeplate through which the stud passes when passing through the holes ofthe strike plate and housing.

10. The latch assembly according to claim 1 wherein a portion of thelatch plate which is concealed by the housing when the plate is in itsfirst position and exposed when the plate is in its second position isprovided with a readily visible marking.

1. A latch for securing two relatively movable members in fixed relationto one another, comprising: a stud adapted to be secured to one of themembers, the stud having an annular groove, a latch plate having a flatbody portion with an open-ended notch at one end, the notch having aU-shaped inner portion cooperating in a close sliding engagement withthe groove of the stud, the latch plate having an end portion oppositeto the notch extending at right angles to the body portion to serve as ahandle, and a tab portion extending at right angles to the end portionand the body portion, a housing adapted to be secured to the other ofsaid members, the housing enclosing and slidably receiving the latchplate along a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the studbetween a first position in which the notch of the plate engages theannular groove of the stud, and a second position in which the latchplate is remote from the stud, and means provided to secure the tabportion of the latch plate in fixed relation to at least one of themembers with the latch plate in its first position.
 2. The latchaccording to claim 1 further including stop means carried by the housingand engaging the latch plate to determine the first and secondpositions.
 3. The latch according to claim 2 wherein the latch plate isprovided with an elongated slot extending parallel to the direction ofmovement of the plate, the stop member comprising a pin-like membersecured to the housing and projecting into the slot.
 4. The latchaccording to claim 3 further including means for releasably retainingthe latch plate in either the first or second position.
 5. The latchaccording to claim 4 wherein the retaining means comprises a springcarried by the housing and engaging the slot of the latch plate when theplate is in its first position and engaging the notch of the latch platewhen the plate is in its second position.
 6. A latch according to claim1 where the other member includes a web portion in parallel adjacentrelation to the tab portion of the latch plate, and the means to securethe tab portion to the web portion are aligned holes through said twoportions with the latch in the first position, said holes adapted toreceive a retaining member to maintain their aligned relation.
 7. Alatch according to claim 1 where the outer portion of the notch of thelatch plate has diverging sides, at least one of the surfaces of thediverging sides being chamfered.
 8. The latch according to claim 7 whichincludes a strike plate in conjunction with the housing and wherein thehousing and stike plate are provided with aligned openings ofsubstantially the same diameter therethrough permitting the head portionof the stud to pass through the strike plate and housing.
 9. The latchassembly according to claim 8 where the housing and strike plate aremounted to a reinforcing beam which includes a hole of the same diameteras and aligned with the holes in the housing and strike plate thRoughwhich the stud passes when passing through the holes of the strike plateand housing.
 10. The latch assembly according to claim 1 wherein aportion of the latch plate which is concealed by the housing when theplate is in its first position and exposed when the plate is in itssecond position is provided with a readily visible marking.